Saturday, February 11, 2017

(Venice, Italy) Venice is a unique city. Built on the water, tucked safely inside her own lagoon, Venice was once the center of international trade, as well as the publishing industry. The ruling mercantile aristocracy were seafarers, enormously wealthy, and competed with each other to build the most magnificent palaces filled with lush furnishings, art and tapestries. Venetians are good with a boat.

Venetians had their own peculiar customs like gliding around in gondolas and wearing masks. They loved gambling and going to the theater. The first public opera house opened in Venice in 1637, and was so popular that it spawned many others, making Venice the one-time opera capital of the world.

Carnevale - Photo: Cat Bauer

In honor of Carnival, which starts today here in Venice, I am republishing an edited version of a piece I first wrote way back in 2001 for the International Herald Tribune - Italy Daily about the history mask-making. Today, Sergio & Massimo Boldrin still own La Bottega dei Mascareri, creating masks by hand using papier-mâché.

A Brief History of Mask MakingbyCat Bauer

In
a city where there seems to be a mask shop on every corner, it may be
surprising to learn that the ancient Venetian craft of mask making was
only revived about forty years ago.

Sergio Boldrin is
one of the senior mask-makers in Venice, as well as an accomplished
artist. When he was a child, there were no mask shops in the entire
city. There was no Carnival. During the terrorism and political
upheavals in Italy in the 1970s, the wearing of masks was discouraged.

Masks
disappeared, along with Carnival, when Napoleon's troops brought an end
to the Venetian Republic in 1797. Since then, they've resurfaced and
submerged again throughout the decades until being vanquished to the
pages of the history books by the 20th century. However, masks staged a
spectacular comeback in the late 1970s and early 1980s when a group of
young people, including Sergio, brought them once again into the
forefront.

As far back as the 11th century, the mattaccino costume
was worn by mischievous young men, who, dressed as clowns, would
bombard noblewomen with eggs filled with rosewater, inspiring the first
official documentation regarding masks: a 1268 law prohibiting the
throwing of eggs while disguised. The Venetian government apparently gave up trying to enforce it,
however, and resorted to putting up nets along the Procuratie in St.
Mark's Square to protect the ladies and their rich clothing. Even in
Sergio's day, young Venetian men opened fire on expensively-dressed
women with the yolky bombs. "I did throw an egg or two myself as a kid,"
confessed Sergio. "Venetian boys have been throwing eggs for more than
700 years."

Mask making in Venice can be documented
back to the 13th century, though it probably existed much earlier. On
April 10, 1436, the ancient profession of mascareri was
founded under the jurisdiction of the Painter's Guild. Over the years,
masks were used for a variety of reasons -- in the government, the
theater, and as a means of disguise. Masks provided the Venetians a
degree of anonymity.

The wearing of a mask put everyone
on the same level: rich and poor, nobleman and citizen, beautiful and
ordinary, old and young. It permitted confidences to be exchanged
anonymously -- everything from accusations before State Inquisitors, to a
potpourri of sexual indiscretions. Prostitutes practiced their trade
without fear of retribution; homosexuals hid their illicit lifestyle. In
1458, it was decreed that men were forbidden to dress up as women and
enter convents to commit indecent acts.

Not all masks were used for indelicacies, however. The bauta was
worn by both men and women, and was not considered a costume but a form
of dress -- required wearing if a woman wanted to go to the theater.

Il medico della peste had a long beak-like nose stuffed with disinfectants, and, as its name implies, was used to protect doctors from the plague.

Another ingredient in this colorful mix was the Italian theater, Commedia dell'arte.
In the 18th century, the renowned Venetian playwright, Carlo Goldoni,
brought theatrical masks to the forefront. Pantalone, Harlequin,
Colombina and Pulcinella were among the many masks that found their way
into the Carnival.

Over the years, Carnival festivities
grew more decadent until it evolved into a 250-day event of non-stop
parties, gambling and dancing. Social and class distinctions were
flipped on their heads, with servants dressing up as masters and vice
versa. It was difficult to distinguish a housewife wearing a traditional
mask, cape, hood and three corner hat from a nobleman dressed in the
same outfit, allowing both to move freely though the city without fear
of recognition.

Il Ridotto by Pietro Longhi (c. 1750)

Sergio
has been a major force in keeping this early art form alive. Together
with his brother, Massismo, he owns La Bottega dei Mascareri. The
original shop at the foot of the Rialto Bridge is not much bigger than a
closet, and shares a wall with one of the oldest churches in Venice,
the 11th century San Giacomo di Rialto.

A second, larger shop is located on Calle dei Saoneri
at San Polo 2720, operated by Massimo Boldrin and Rita Perinello, where
there is an opportunity to watch the mask-makers at work. La Bottega's
creations are completely handmade the traditional way, from
papier-mâché.

The Boldrin brother's masks have been featured in Harper's Bazaar, Condé Nast Traveler, Orient Express Magazine, National Georgraphic Traveler, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and Vogue, as well as many other internationally respected journals, and in numerous TV shows and films, such as "Eyes Wide Shut."

1 comment:

Venice is a unique city. Built on the water, tucked safely inside her own lagoon, Venice was once the center of international trade, as well as the publishing industry. The ruling aristocracy, who were merchants, were enormously wealthy, and competed with each other to build the most magnificent palaces filled with lush furnishings, art and tapestries.

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About Me

Award-winning author Cat Bauer (HARLEY, LIKE A PERSON; HARLEY'S NINTH - Alfred A. Knopf) has lived in Venice, Italy since 1998. She was a regular contributor to the International Herald Tribune's Italian supplement, Italy Daily, published with Corriere della Sera. Venetian Cat - Venice Blog has been featured in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine, and read in 198 countries & territories, and 160 languages. Cat Bauer is a contributing editor for LUXOS Magazine, the Venice Insider for CNN and Ninemsn, and had more than 13 million views on Google+ until Google stopped counting

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